Help a journalist tell the truth

Personal message

Ntozakhe Douglas Mthukwane is an internationally known South Africa journalist with a proud record of standing up for the truth. He recently lost all his possessions in a tragic fire that happened in the dead of night and engulfed the floor of the apartment block where he is staying in Kimberley. Since then he has been struggling financially and has found it near impossible to continue his profession as a freelance journalist. In his own words " In April my flat was affected by a neighbors fire which gutted almost everything I had. I'm back at the place without electricity. I haven't had an income since January. Younger brother who is married with four kids is helping both myself and my other five unemployed siblings at my mothers house."

We, the persons requesting the fundraising, are fellow freelance journalists, writers, photojournalists and colleagues of Douglas in the freelance association we all belong to. We would like to help him back on his feet again.

In the words of Douglas last year "I want to be back on my feet, feed , clothe and continue my freelance journalism projects which are so hard to find without resources which I currently lack".

Following the fire that gutted his apartment last year and the start of our fundraising effort, Douglas recently shared the following update with us:

"Besides the $500 & $80 USD I earned from USA and UK based clients, the crowd funding which also had foreign based donations paid R5,650 (now just over R 8 000) which was paid in instalments on the 10th of every month it was only in December that I was not paid as there were no more donations.

"A local couple from a church, Pastor and Wife, illuminated my environment by helping me scrub the blackened walls in the Kitchen and Sitting room where I mainly work.

"The landlord, the municipality, hasn't renovated the place to this day, I did however manage to reason with them to at least restore my electrical connection which they did in mid November albeit it being only the plug sockets that are working.

But it is incredibly difficult being a journalist who is seen to be critical of the government.

"Due to my nonsense approach to my journalistic craft, unscrupulous politicians are trying their best to frustrate me out of the building, they probably want to give it to uncritical and psychophantic loyalists, I'm sticking my ground that I will not continue paying services for a place like this. They don't want to take responsibility for the fire so its gonna be an arduous legal battle. Before the fire there was a breakin which interestingly only targeted files and computers, I suspect they wanted to find out what more information I have on them. But alas I'm speculating, there's no tangible proof!

"A colleague with whom I worked while he was with the Mail & Guardian here in South Africa, now works in the UK, connected me with a publication in London who are keen on me gathering information for them from Kimberley on stories they are pursuing- So things are (hopefully) looking up.

"When I lost my working tools, it affected my relationship with a Cape Town based online publication which often require pics, video's together with the story, Now that my professional credentials are sorted, camera and laptop, brain and fire in the belly available, our relationship is restored, I will start filing stories as before , daily, from the 9 January 2019" - Douglas - December 2018.

Apart from continuing financial contributions to keep him on his feet, Douglas needs work opportunities and freelance commissions in the journalistic sector. Please support him if you can. You can reach him on freelancewriterdm@gmail.com

Donations

Jan 21, 2019 - USD $ 6.79

"Good luck fella" - Marc

Jan 14, 2019 - R 510.00

"Best wishes." - Bernard

Jan 11, 2019 - R 514.10

"Good luck " - Juliette

Jan 11, 2019 - USD $ 22.77

"Good luck to you getting back on your feet. Solidarity!" - Nicola Spurr

Jan 10, 2019 - R 1 028.20

"Keep on keeping on." - Anonymous

Oct 15, 2018 - R 257.05

"Hope you get back up on your feet soon, Ntozakhe. All the best." - Lionel

Oct 12, 2018 - R 205.64

"All the best, Douglas!" - Tamara

Oct 11, 2018 - R 205.64

"All the best" - Friend

Oct 10, 2018 - USD $ 34.29

"To truth." - Arthur Goldstuck

Oct 10, 2018 - R 100.00

"Hope this helps get you back on your feet." - Cecilia

Sep 18, 2018 - R 205.64

"Hang in there. All the best. " - TM

Sep 18, 2018 - R 205.64

"A small contribution ... :-)" - Gudrun Kaiser

Sep 13, 2018 - R 257.05

"Take it day by day; wishing you strength. " - Janine

Sep 13, 2018 - R 514.10

"I hope things will settle down and you will be back as a scribe and moving onward and upward" - Kathy Malherbe

Sep 13, 2018 - R 514.10

"Good luck with getting back on your feet." - DRS

Sep 12, 2018 - USD $ 10.52

"Keep going. " - Anonymous

Sep 12, 2018 - R 205.64

"Freelancing is tough. And when life is mean to you, it's so much tougher. Hang in there, Douglas! " - Vicki Edwards